Image capture device

ABSTRACT

An image capture device has a first image transfer method for storing a captured digital image on a storage medium and transferring the digital image to a communication device, and a second image transfer method for storing the digital image on the storage medium, reading the digital image from the storage medium and then transferring the digital image to the communication device. The first image transfer method or the second image transfer method is manually or automatically set.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/564,837 filed on Sep. 22, 2009, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/208,513 filed on Aug. 22, 2005 andnow U.S. Pat. No. 7,612,807, which claims the benefit of Japanese PatentApplication No. 2004-266898 filed on Sep. 14, 2004, all of which herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image capture device such as adigital camera and digital video camera.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years digital cameras have a function to store a captureddigital image on a storage medium such as memory card as well as afunction to transfer the captured digital image to an another device viaa network interface which is based on IEEE1394 serial bus, USB(universal serial bus), and the like. For example, Japanese Laid-OpenPatent Application No. 2003-283900 discloses a digital camera thattransfers the captured digital image to a file server via a wireless LANcard.

The digital camera disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent ApplicationNo. 2003-283900 can be provided with either one of the memory card orthe wireless LAN card to be connected thereto, such that the digitalimage captured by the digital camera cannot be transferred to the fileserver on the network via a communication device such as wireless LANcard when the digital image captured by the digital camera is stored onthe storage medium such as memory card.

In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-283900 doesnot disclose a plurality of methods available in transferring thedigital image captured by the digital camera to the communication devicesuch as wireless LAN card while storing the digital image captured bythe digital camera on the storage medium such as memory card. Inaddition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-283900 does notdisclose a method to select these methods by the user's setup or toselect these methods automatically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is to overcome the above-described drawbacks. Forexample, the present invention enables an image transfer method to beset by a user or automatically selected for storing a digital imagecaptured by a digital camera on a storage medium such as a memory cardand transferring the digital image to a communication device such as awireless LAN card.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an image capture deviceincludes a first image transfer method for storing a captured digitalimage on a storage medium and transferring the digital image to acommunication device, a second image transfer method for storing thedigital image on the storage medium, reading the digital image from thestorage medium and then transferring the digital image to thecommunication device, and an operation unit adapted to turn on at leastone of the first image transfer method and the second image transfermethod.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the inventionand, together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing one example of an image capture system inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing one example of an image capture device inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing one example of a communication device inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a process executed atthe image capture device.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing one example of a setup menu for setting thefirst and second image transfer methods to ON or OFF.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention will be described in detail below withreference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

To begin with, one example of the image capture system in accordancewith the first embodiment of the present invention is explained withreference to FIG. 1.

An image capture device 10 is a digital camera or a device operable as adigital camera (such as digital video camera).

The image capture device 10 has two image transfer methods. A firstimage transfer method concurrently carries out a process of reading froma buffer memory (not shown) inside the image capture device 10 andstoring on a storage media 30, an image file that includes the captureddigital image and its auxiliary information, and a process oftransferring the image file from the buffer memory inside the imagecapture device 10 to a communication device 20. A second image transfermethod carries out a process of reading the image file, that includesthe captured digital image and its auxiliary information, from thebuffer memory inside the image capture device 10, and storing the imagefile on the storage medium 30, followed by a process of reading theimage file from the storage media 30 and transferring the file to thecommunication device 20. The first image transfer method, as compared tothe second image transfer method, gives a priority to a transfer of thecaptured image to the communication device. The second image transfermethod, as compared to the first image transfer method, gives a priorityto storage of the captured image to the storage medium 30. According tothe first embodiment, these image transfer methods can be set by a useror can be automatically selected.

In addition, the image capture device 10 has a power ON mode and a powersave mode. The power ON mode is an operational mode in which allfunctions of the image capture device 10 can be used. If a power sourceof the image capture device 10 is ON, the image capture device 10 isplaced in the power ON mode. The power save mode is an operational modehaving lower power consumption than the power ON mode. While operatingin the power save mode, only a part of the functions of the imagecapture device 10 can be used. If a user does not manipulate the imagecapture device 10 during a first predetermined period, the image capturedevice 10 automatically enters the power save mode. If a user does notmanipulate the image capture device during a second predeterminedperiod, starting when the power save mode is ON, the image capturedevice 10 automatically turns OFF the power source of the image capturedevice 10. Moreover, if the user manipulates the image capture device 10during the second predetermined period starting when the power save modeis ON, the image capture device 10 automatically turns OFF the powersave mode and returns to the power ON mode. The second predeterminedperiod may either be the same as or longer than the first predeterminedperiod.

The communication device 20 transfers an image file, transferred fromthe image capture device 10 to the communication device 20, to a fileserver 50 via a wireless LAN access point 40 (hereinafter referred to asAP 40), which is based on IEEE802.11a, IEEE802,11b, IEEE802.11g, and thelike. The communication protocol for this invention is not limited tothese examples, and any protocol that would enable practice of thepresent invention is applicable.

The communication device 20 has the power ON mode and the power savemode. The power ON mode is an operational mode that can use allfunctions of the communication device 20. If a power source of thecommunication device 20 is ON, the communication device 20 is placed inthe power ON mode. The power save mode is an operational mode havinglower power consumption than the power ON mode. While operating in thepower save mode, only a part of the functions of the communicationdevice 20 can be used. When a predetermined time is elapsed after thetransfer of an image file is finished, the communication device 20automatically enters the power save mode. If the communication device 20detects that the image capture device 10 has entered the power savemode, it also enters the power save mode. If the communication device 20detects that the image capture device 10 has entered the power ON mode,it also returns to the power ON mode.

The communication devices 20 may be connected to the image capturedevice 10 via the network interface based on IEEE1394 serial bus, USB(universal serial bus), and the like, or connected to an interface forestablishing connection with the storage medium 30, or housed in theimage capture device 10. The method of connecting the communicationdevice 20 and the image capture device 10 is not limited to theseexamples, and any method that would allow practice of the presentinvention is applicable. In the case of the first embodiment, thecommunication device 20 and the image capture device 10 are connectedvia the network interface which is based on IEEE1394 serial bus, USB,and the like.

Further, the communication devices 20 may receive the power supply froma battery connected to the communication device 20, or receive the powersupply from the image capture device 10. In the case of the firstembodiment, the communication device 20 receives the power supply fromthe battery connected to the communication device 20.

The storage medium 30 is a storage medium such as memory card(card-shaped storage medium with built-in non-volatile memory), or harddisk device. The storage medium 30 can be attached to and detached fromthe image capture device 10.

Next, one example of the configuration of the image capture device 10 isexplained with reference to FIG. 2.

When a shutter button (not shown) on the image capture device 10 isfully pressed, an image capture unit 101 converts a light received by animage capture element (not shown), such as CCD image sensor or CMOSimage sensor, to electrical signals. The electrical signals aredigitalized to generate a digital image, and the digital image thusgenerated is stored on a first buffer memory 102. If the shutter buttoncontinues to be fully pressed, the image capture unit 101 continuesshooting digital images until the first buffer memory 102 is full. Thefirst buffer memory 102 has a capacity to store a plurality of digitalimages.

An image processing unit 103 reads a digital image from the first buffermemory 102, and implements a development process of the digital image.The development process includes the adjustments of white balance,sharpness, contrast, color space, resolution, and the like. Thedevelopment process can be set by the user.

A compress and uncompress unit 104 has a function to compress a digitalimage processed at the image processing unit 103 by an image compressionmethod such as JPEG, JPEG2000, and the like, and a function touncompress a digital image thus compressed. A compression rate can beset by the user.

A main control unit 108 has a microcomputer that controls the imagecapture device 10 according to a control program contained in anon-volatile memory 110. The main control unit 108 has a function togenerate an image file including the digital image compressed by thecompress and uncompress unit 104 and information auxiliary to thedigital image, and a function to store the generated image file in thesecond buffer memory 105. The auxiliary information includes informationrelated to the digital image, information related to the image capturedevice 10, thumbnail of the digital image, and the like. The secondbuffer memory 105 has a capacity to store a plurality of image files.The main control unit 108 has a function to change the operational modeof the image capture device 10 to the power ON mode or the power savemode.

A display unit 106 includes a display such as a liquid crystal displayfor displaying various information. More specifically, the display unit106 has a function to display information related to the image capturedevice 10, a function to display a reduced image of the captured digitalimage, and a function to display a reduced image of the digital imagestored in the storage medium 30. The information displayed is notlimited to these examples, and any information to be displayed thatwould enable practice of the present invention is applicable. In case ofdisplaying the reduced image of the digital image stored on the storagemedium 30, information related to the digital image can also bedisplayed. The display unit 106 has a function to provide a graphicaluser interface such as setup menu.

A storage medium interface 107 has a function to write an image filestored in the second buffer memory 105 on the storage medium 30, and afunction to read an image file stored on the storage medium 30 from thestorage medium 30 and write the image file to the second buffer memory105.

An operation unit 109 is a user interface for operating the imagecapture device 10, and is provided with a power switch to turn ON orturn OFF the power source of the image capture device 10, a shutterbutton to give an instruction to start photographing, a menu button todisplay the setup menu on the display unit 106, a cross button to shiftup/down and right/left a cursor displayed on the display unit 106, aselect button to select items or images selected by the cursor, and thelike. The shutter button can be pressed halfway or fully. When theshutter button is pressed halfway, the image capture device 10 executesAF, AE, and the like. When the shutter button is fully pressed, theimage capture device 10 executes photographing of the digital image.

The non-volatile memory 110 stores a control program that controls theimage capture device 10, information related to the image capture device10, and the like. Moreover, the non-volatile memory 110 storesinformation related to the AP 40, information related to the file server50 (such as IP address), and the like. Further, the non-volatile memory110 also stores an image data of the setup menu to be displayed on thedisplay unit 106.

A network interface 111 is based on IEEE1394 serial bus, USB, and thelike, and transfers an image file stored in the second buffer memory 105to the communication device 20. Moreover, the network interface 111transfers to the communication device 20 the information related to theimage capture device 10, the information related to the AP 40, theinformation related to the file server 50, and the like.

Next, a procedure for setting the first and second image transfermethods to ON or OFF is explained with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is adrawing showing one example of the setup menu to set the first andsecond image transfer methods to ON or OFF. In the first embodiment, thesetup menu shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display unit 106 byoperating the cross button and the menu button of the operation unit109.

“Transfer priority” shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the first imagetransfer method. “Storage priority” shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to thesecond image transfer method. The user can operate the cross button andselect button to set the “transfer priority” and “storage priority” toON or OFF. The example of FIG. 5 illustrates the case where “transferpriority” and “storage priority” are set to ON.

Next, one example of the communication device 20 is explained withreference to FIG. 3.

A network interface 201 is based on IEEE1394 serial bus, USB, and thelike, and receives an image file transferred from the image capturedevice 10 to the communication device 20. The image file received by thenetwork interface 201 is stored in a buffer memory 202, and has acapacity to store a plurality of image files. The buffer memory 202receives the information related to the image capture device 10, theinformation related to the AP 40, the information related to the fileserver 50, and the like, from the image capture device 10.

A wireless LAN interface 203 transfers an image file stored in thebuffer memory 202 to the file server 50 via the AP 40.

An operation unit 204 is a user interface to operate the communicationdevice 20, and has a switch to turn ON or OFF the power source of thecommunication device 20, and the like.

A main control unit 205 has a microcomputer that controls thecommunication device 20 according to a control program contained in anon-volatile memory 206. The main control unit 205 has a function todetect the operational mode of the image capture device 10 and afunction to change the operational mode of the communication device 20to power ON mode or the power save mode depending on the operationalmode of the image capture device 10.

The non-volatile memory 206 stores the control program that controls thecommunication device 20. Moreover, the non-volatile memory 206 storesthe information related to the communication device 20, the informationrelated to the image capture device 10, the information related to theAP 40, the information related to the file server 50, and the like.Further, the information related to the image capture device 10, theinformation related to the AP 40, and the information related to thefile server 50 are received from the image capture device 10 and storedin the non-volatile memory 206.

A display unit 207 includes a display such as a liquid crystal displayfor displaying various information. More specifically, the display unit207 has a function to display information indicating whether thecommunication is in progress, a function to display informationindicating the current transfer rate, information indicating the currentcommunication status, information indicating the error, informationindicating the remaining amount of charge of a battery of thecommunication device 20, and the like. The main control unit 205 turnsOFF the display unit 207 when the power save mode is ON.

A memory 208 is the memory that registers information indicating achannel in which the AP 40 has been detected. The information registeredin the memory 208 is deleted when the power source of the communicationdevice 20 is OFF.

Next, one example of a procedure of the process executed at the imagecapture device 10 is explained with reference to FIG. 4. The processshown in FIG. 4 starts when the image capture device 10 and thecommunication device 20 are in the power ON mode and when thecommunication with the communication device 20 is possible. The processshown in FIG. 4 is controlled by the main control unit 108 according tothe control program contained in the non-volatile memory 110.

In step S401, the main control unit 108 decides whether the shutterbutton of the operation unit 109 is fully pressed. The process advancesto step S402 when the shutter button is fully pressed. The processaccording to the flow chart ends when the shutter button is not fullypressed. If the shutter button continues to be fully pressed down, theimage capture device 10 continues shooting the digital images until thefirst buffer memory 102 is full. Further, the image capture device 10generates the image file from each digital image stored in the firstbuffer memory 102 and stores these image files in the second buffermemory 105.

In step S402, the main control unit 108 decides whether the first imagetransfer method is ON. The process advances to step S403 when the firstimage transfer method is ON. The process advances to step S413 when thefirst transfer method is OFF.

In step S403, the main control unit 108 decides whether the second imagetransfer method is ON. The process advances to step S404 when the secondimage transfer method is ON. The process advances to step S405 when thesecond image transfer method is OFF.

In step S404, the main control unit 108 decides whether to select thefirst image transfer method depending on a free space of the buffermemory 202 inside the communication device 20. In the first embodiment,the communication device 20 notifies the image capture device 10 whetherthe free space of the buffer memory 202 exceeds a predeterminedreference value (e.g., a size sufficient to store a single image file).When the free space of the buffer memory 202 exceeds the predeterminedreference value, the main control unit 108 decides to give a priority tothe transfer of the captured image to the communication device 20, andselects the first image transfer method. On the other hand, when thefree space of the buffer memory 202 does not exceed the predeterminedreference value, the main control unit 108 decides to give a priority tothe storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30, and selectsthe second image transfer method. The process advances to step S405 whenthe first image transfer method is selected. The process advances tostep S408 when the second image transfer method is selected.

In step S405, the main control unit 108 notifies the network interface111 and the storage medium interface 107 of the image to be stored onthe storage medium 30 and transferred to the communication device 20.The storage medium interface 107 carries out a process of reading theimage file from the second buffer memory 105 and writing the image fileto the storage medium 30. The network interface 111, in parallel to thisstorage process, carries out a process of reading the image file fromthe second buffer memory 105 and transferring the image file to thecommunication device 20.

In step S406, the main control unit 108 deletes, from the second buffermemory 105, the image file which was stored on the storage medium 30 andwas also transferred to the communication device 20. As a result, thefree space in the second buffer memory 105 increases, and the digitalimage stored on the first buffer memory 102 can be processed.

In step S407, the main control unit 108 decides whether an image filewhich is not transferred to the communication device 20 exists in thesecond buffer memory 105. The process returns to step S402 when such animage file exists in the second buffer memory 105. The process accordingto the flow chart ends when no such image file exists in the secondbuffer memory 105.

In step S408, the main control unit 108 notifies the storage mediuminterface 107 of the image file to be stored on the storage medium 30and to be transferred to the communication device 20. The storage mediuminterface 107 reads the image file from the second buffer memory 105 andwrites the image file on the storage medium 30.

In step S409, the main control unit 108 deletes, from the second buffermemory 105, the image file stored on the storage medium 30. As a result,the free space of the second buffer memory 105 increases, and thedigital image stored in the first buffer memory 102 can be processed.

In step S410, if free space is present in the second buffer memory 105,the main control unit 108 instructs the storage medium interface 107 toread the image file in the storage medium 30, which was stored in stepS408. The storage media interface 107 reads the image file on thestorage media 30, which was stored in step S408, and stores the imagefile in the second buffer memory 105. The main control unit 108 notifiesthe network interface 111 of the image file stored in the second buffermemory 105. The network interface 111 reads the image file from thesecond buffer memory 105 and transfers the image file to thecommunication device 20.

In step S411, the main control unit 108 deletes, from the second buffermemory 105, the image file transferred to the communication device 20.

In step S412, the main control unit 108 decides whether the image filewhich is not transferred to the communication device 20 exists in thesecond buffer memory 105. The process returns to step S402 when such animage file exists in the second buffer memory 105. The process accordingto the flow chart ends when no such image file exists in the secondbuffer memory 105.

In step S413, the main control unit 108 decides whether the second imagetransfer method is turned ON. The process advances to step S408 when thesecond image transfer method is turned ON. The process advances to stepS414 when the second image transfer method is turned OFF.

In step S414, the main control unit 108 notifies the storage mediuminterface 107 of the image file to be stored to the storage medium 30.The storage medium interface 107 reads the image file from the secondbuffer memory 105 and writes the image file to the storage medium 30.

In step S415, the main control unit 108 deletes, from the second buffermemory 105, the image file stored on the storage medium 30. As a result,the free space of the second buffer memory 105 increases, and thedigital image stored in the first buffer memory 102 can be processed.

In step S416, the main control unit 108 decides whether the image filewhich is not stored on the storage medium 30 exists in the second buffermemory 105. The process returns to step S402 when such an image fileexists in the second buffer memory 105. The process according to theflow chart ends when no such image file exists in the second buffermemory 105.

As described above, according to the image capture device 10 of thefirst embodiment, the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 is given a priority when the first imagetransfer method is turned ON and the second image transfer method isturned OFF.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the firstembodiment, the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30is given a priority when the first image transfer method is turned OFFand the second image transfer method is turned ON.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the firstembodiment, if the first and second image transfer methods are turnedON, a priority to the storing of the captured image on the storagemedium 30 or a priority to the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 can be automatically selected depending on thefree space of the buffer memory 202.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, in step S404 of FIG. 4, the first or the secondimage transfer method is selected depending on the free space of thebuffer memory 202. In addition to the free space of the buffer memory202, the free space of the second buffer memory 105 can also be takeninto account. For example, the first image transfer method may beconfigured to be selected when the free spaces of both the buffer memory202 and the second buffer memory 105 exceed the predetermined referencevalues. On the other hand, the second image transfer method may beconfigured to be selected when the free space of the buffer memory 202exceeds the predetermined reference value, but the free space of thesecond buffer memory 105 does not exceed the predetermined referencevalue.

Further, not only can the free space of the buffer memory 202 be takeninto account, but the available capacities of the first buffer memory102 and the second buffer memory 105 may also be taken into account. Forexample, the first image transfer method may be configured to beselected when the free space of the buffer memory 202, the first buffermemory 102, and the second buffer memory 105 exceed the predeterminedreference value. On the other hand, the second image transfer method maybe configured to be selected, even when the free space of the buffermemory 202 exceeds the predetermined reference value, if the free spaceof the first buffer memory 102 and the second buffer memory 105 do notexceed the predetermined standard value.

Third Embodiment

The process of step S404 of FIG. 4 of the first embodiment can bemodified as follows.

In step S404, the main control unit 108 decides whether to select thefirst image transfer method depending on the remaining amount of chargein the battery connected to the communication device 20. According tothe third embodiment, the communication device 20 notifies the imagecapture device 10 whether the remaining amount of charge in the batteryconnected to the communication device 20 exceeds a predeterminedreference value (e.g., a capacity sufficient to transfer a single imagefile to the file server 50). When the remaining amount of charge in thebattery connected to the communication device 20 exceeds thepredetermined reference value, the main control unit 108 decides to givepriority to the transfer of the captured image to the communicationdevice 20, and selects the first image transfer method. On the otherhand, when the battery connected to the communication device 20 does notexceed the predetermined reference value, the main control unit 108decides to give priority to the storage of the captured image on thestorage medium 30, and selects the second image transfer method. Theprocess advances to step S405 when the first image transfer method isselected. The process advances to step S408 when the second imagetransfer method is selected.

As described above, according to the image capture device 10 of thethird embodiment, the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 is given priority when the first image transfermethod is turned ON and the second image transfer method is turned OFF.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the thirdembodiment, the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30is given a priority when the first image transfer method is turned OFFand the second image transfer method is turned ON.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the thirdembodiment, if the first and second image transfer methods are turnedON, priority to the storage of the captured image on the storage medium30 or priority to the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 can be automatically selected depending on theremaining amount of charge in the battery connected to the communicationdevice 20.

Further, at least one of the first and second embodiments may becombined with the third embodiment.

Fourth Embodiment

In the fourth embodiment, at step S404 of FIG. 4, the first or secondimage transfer method is selected depending on the remaining amount ofcharge in the battery connected to the communication device 20. However,the remaining amount of charge in the battery connected to thecommunication device 20 need not be the only data taken into account.The remaining amount of charge in the battery connected to the imagecapture device 10 can also be taken into account. For example, the firstimage transfer method can be configured to be selected when theremaining amounts of charge in the batteries connected to thecommunication device 20 and the image capture device 10 exceed thepredetermined reference values. On the other hand, the second transfermethod can be configured to be selected when the remaining amounts ofcharge in the battery connected to the communication device 20 exceedsthe predetermined reference value but the battery connected to the imagecapture device 10 does not exceed the predetermined reference value.

Further, if power is supplied from the battery connected to the imagecapture device 10 to the communication device 20, the first or secondimage transfer method can be configured to be selected depending only onthe remaining amount of charge in the battery connected to the imagecapture device 10.

Further, at least one of the first and second embodiments may becombined with the fourth embodiment.

Fifth Embodiment

The process of step S404 of FIG. 4 in the first embodiment can bemodified as follows.

In step S404, the main control unit 108 decides whether to select thefirst image transfer method depending on a data transfer rate betweenthe image capture device 10 and the communication device 20. Accordingto the fifth embodiment, the data transfer rate between the imagecapture device 10 and the communication device 20 is detected by thenetwork interface 111. When the data transfer rate between the imagecapture device 10 and the communication device 20 exceeds apredetermined reference value (e.g., the data transfer rate between theimage capture device 10 and the storage medium 30), the main controlunit 108 decides to give priority to the transfer of the captured imageto the communication device 20, and selects the first image transfermethod. On the other hand, when the data transfer rate between the imagecapture device 10 and the communication device 20 does not exceed thepredetermined reference value, the main control unit 108 decides to givepriority to the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30,and selects the second image transfer method. The process advances tostep S405 when the first image transfer method is selected. The processadvances to step S408 when the second image transfer method is selected.

As described above, according to the image capture device 10 of thefifth embodiment, the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 is given priority when the first image transfermethod is turned ON and the second image transfer method is turned OFF.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the fifthembodiment, the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30is given priority when the first image transfer method is turned OFF andthe second image transfer method is turned ON.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the fifthembodiment, priority to the storage of the captured image on the storagemedium 30 or priority to the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 can be automatically selected depending on thedata transfer rate between the image capture device 10 and thecommunication device 20, when the first and second image transfermethods are turned ON.

Further, at least one of the first to fourth embodiments may be combinedwith the fifth embodiment.

Sixth Embodiment

In the sixth embodiment, in step S404, the first or second imagetransfer method is configured to be selected depending on the datatransfer rate between the image capture device 10 and the communicationdevice 20. However, when a plurality of types of network interfacesconnecting the image capture device 10 and the communication device 20are provided, the network interface types connecting the image capturedevice 10 and the communication device 20 can be taken into account. Forexample, when the data transfer rate of the network interface connectingthe image capture device 10 and the communication device 20 is fasterthan the data transfer rate of the storage medium interface 107, thefirst image transfer method is selected, and the second image transfermethod is selected when the data transfer rate of the net work interfaceis slower than the storage medium interface 107.

Further, at least one of the first to fifth embodiments may be combinedwith the sixth embodiment.

Seventh Embodiment

The process of step S404 of FIG. 4 in the first embodiment can bemodified as follows.

In step S404, the main control unit 108 decides whether to select thefirst image transfer method depending on the data transfer rate betweenthe communication device 20 and the AP 40. In the seventh embodiment,the data transfer rate between the communication device 20 and the AP 40is detected by the wireless LAN interface 203, and the communicationdevice 20 notifies the image capture device 10 of the transfer rate.When the data transfer rate between the communication device 20 and theAP 40 exceeds a predetermined reference value (e.g., the data transferrate between the image capture device 10 and the storage medium 30), themain control unit 108 decides to give priority to the transfer of thecaptured image to the communication device 20, and selects the firstimage transfer method. On the other hand, when the data transfer ratebetween the communication device 20 and the AP 40 does not exceed thepredetermined reference value, the main control unit 108 decides to givepriority to the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30,and selects the second image transfer method. The process advances tostep S405 when the first image transfer method is selected. The processadvances to S408 when the second image transfer method is selected.

As described above, according to the image capture device 10 of theseventh embodiment, the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 is given priority when the first image transfermethod is turned ON and the second image transfer method is turned OFF.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the seventhembodiment, the storage of the captured image on the storage medium 30is given priority when the first image transfer method is turned OFF andthe second image transfer method is turned ON.

Further, according to the image capture device 10 of the seventhembodiment, priority to the storage of the captured image on the storagemedium 30 or priority to the transfer of the captured image to thecommunication device 20 can be automatically selected depending on thedata transfer rate between the communication device 20 and the AP 40,when the first and second image transfer method are turned ON.

Further, at least one of the first to sixth embodiments can be combinedwith the seventh embodiment.

Eighth Embodiment

The image capture devices 10 of the first to seventh embodiments areconfigured to change the image transfer method for every image filetransmission when the first and second image transfer methods are turnedON. However, in the eighth embodiment, the image file is divided into aplurality of blocks and the image transfer method for each block ischanged.

Other Embodiments

All or part of each of the above embodiments can be implemented by aprogram executed with a computer such as a microcomputer. In this case,the program can be stored on a storage medium inside a device containingthe built-in computer which executes the program, or may be stored on astorage medium attachable to the device containing built-in computerwhich executes this program.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all modifications, equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2004-266898 filed Sep. 14, 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image capture device, comprising: an imagecapture unit that captures an image; a first internal memory that storesan image file corresponding to the image captured by the image captureunit; a first interface unit that stores the image file stored in thefirst internal memory to a storage medium; a second interface unit thattransfers the image file stored in the first internal memory to acommunication device; and a control unit that selects one of a firstimage transfer method and a second image transfer method based on a datatransfer rate between the image capture device and the communicationdevice and a data transfer rate between the image capture device and thestorage medium, wherein if the first image transfer method is selected,the control unit controls the first interface unit to store the imagefile stored in the first internal memory to the storage medium andcontrols the second interface unit to transfer the image file stored inthe first internal memory to the communication device, and wherein ifthe second image transfer method is selected, the control unit controlsthe first interface unit to store the image file stored in the firstinternal memory to the storage medium, controls the first interface unitto read the stored image file from the storage medium, and then controlsthe second interface unit to transfer the read file to the communicationdevice.